Finding Kenny
by Kankokujinpoi
Summary: In which Kyle's roommate is missing. And there's a handful of parties that he could be at. And two pairs of eyes are better than one.
1. 10:00pm

**AN: Trying to get back into the SP writing spirit. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think?**

Kyle Broflosky is used to his apartment door being knocked on at all hours of the night. Usually it's Stan, drunk and confused, needing a ride to his own apartment. Or it's Cartman trying to play ding dong ditch, but not making it very far down the hall before Kyle can open the door. More recently it's Kenny, apologizing profusely for forgetting his key.

So when he hears a single knock at the door before midnight he has mixed emotions. On one hand he finds it a little early for the guys to come drunkenly knocking at his door. On the other he's hopeful that he might get a full night's sleep on a Saturday night for once.

Kyle's Saturday night is his only night to himself. Ever since Kenny moved in it's been hard to get anything done that Kyle usually had plenty of time for during the week. At first Kenny would beg Kyle to go to parties. He even went to a few of Cartman's, but Kyle soon found out parties are not his scene. Too many people with too little inhibitions.

After a while the invitations stopped coming and that's just fine with Kyle.

He still has fun.

He does.

"Don't you think it's a little early to be this drunk, Stan." Kyle guesses it's Stan. Evidence is simple; Stan is a lightweight.

Kenny told him he'd be out late, if not all night. And he caught wind of Cartman throwing a party of his own.

"I always new Marsh was an alcoholic."

"Craig? What are you doing here?"

Craig has become a regular guest at Kyle's apartment. Well, really just the doorway of Kyle's apartment. Kenny makes it a point to never let Craig in. He's not sure if it's for his own benefit or Kyle's. He'll hear Craig's voice and hear Kenny wish him a nice night, then the door close.

From what he hears from Kenny, Craig has really pulled his act together since elementary school. Not the little troublemaker he was known for. Why was he known as a troublemaker anyway?

"Is Kenny here." Craig nudges the door open. He waltzes in and walks down the hall towards Kenny's room.

"No, he's not." Kyle isn't sure how Craig knows his way around their apartment so well, "he's not with you?"

"Said he'd be at Cartman's, but he's not."

"I thought he said Clyde was throwing a party."

"He also mentioned Marsh having a get together. Why aren't you there." Craig opens Kyle's door for a quick peak. Before Kyle has a chance to raise his voice Craig ducks back out into the hallway.

As Craig passes Kyle in the hall the red head can't help but notice how much taller Craig has grown. And how nice the taller boy smells. And how good he looks in a dark wash.

"I don't go to parties."

"Why."

"Because I have better things to do."

"Like."

"Like..." Kyle watches Craig dial a number on his phone.

"Puzzles." Craig points to the half finished puzzle on the coffee table.

"So..." Kyle silently curses himself for letting Craig roam the apartment. "You have something against puzzles?"

"No." Craig sits down in Kyle's puzzle spot, throwing his phone on the coffee table. "You know, I work on these when you're not here." Craig pulls some pieces Kyle had pushed aside and starts putting them together as if they were telling Craig where they belong. "I got you started on the waterfall two puzzles ago."

"Wait..." Kyle tries to think back to the puzzle Craig is talking about. "The rain forest puzzle?"

"Yep." Craig stands once he has Kyle started on an big oak tree, "so let's go."

"Let's go? What do you mean?"

Craig stands and dusts off his pants, "let's go find Kenny."

"Dude, why do I have to go?"

"Two pairs of eyes are better than one. Proof," Craig points to Kyle's puzzle.

"I'm not really dressed to go out, though," Kyle mutters at his clothes.

Craig walks into Kyle's room, taking advantage of Kyle being too immersed in his outfit.

"I guess if I could see if my nice jeans are dry, I was washing my jeans. Well drying I guess at this point in the night. It's a part of my Saturday night routine. See, I start off by taking count of- wait are you in my room?"

By the time Kyle realizes Craig is in his room he's met with a pair of Kenny's jeans and an old sweater he specifically remembers pushing to the back of his closet.

"You don't want to go out in your nice jeans. Take a pair of Kenny's."

Kyle thinks about the last time he went to a party. He remembers having the worst head ache the day after. Not because of the alcohol, but because he ended up taking care of Stan and Kenny the whole night. Never again.

But now Craig is sitting in front of his puzzle making better progress than he's made in the past three Saturdays. He's holding an outfit he would never choose on his own with an invitation to a night he'd never thought would sound enticing.

But looking at the company for the night consider Kyle enticed.

"So you think Kenny could be at Cartman's party by now?"

"It's a good place to start."


	2. 11:00pm

11:00pm

"Craig, wait up, these pants are a little tight."

Kyle didn't realize Kenny was so much skinnier than he is. Although Kenny has always been on the leaner side, so has Kyle. And unlike Stan and Cartman, who seemed to blow up once beer hit their belly's, if anything, the two roommates might have even lost a few pounds.

So Kyle takes awkward, uneven steps. He tries to stretch out the pants, worried that he'll accumulate spider veins because the pants are so tight.

He's too busy making room in his pants to realize Craig has turned around and is now facing the red head. He almost falls backwards, trying to avoid contact with the taller boy.

Fortunately, Craig reaches out and grabs Kyle by the belt loops. He's about the thank Craig for the catch when he realizes Craig's fingers are still looped in his pants. There's a tug that brings Kyle closer to Craig than he thinks he's ever been before.

Could it be? Maybe while Kyle took note of how time has graced Craig the dark haired boy had done the same? Kyle knows he's no perfect 10, but he can't deny when he looks good. And in Kenny's pants matched with the slightly larger sweater Craig resurrected from the closet, well, you might as well round up at this point.

Then he feels Craig tug his pants upward, then give his hips a swivel.

"They feel fine to me. You're just not used to wearing pants that fit you." Craig continues walking down the sidewalk.

Kyle would like to stop walking, to dramatically defend his pants. He wants Craig to give his undivided attention to Kyle's speech about his pants, more than anything, he wants to stall getting to Cartman's apartment. But if he stops walking he knows Craig won't stop and then he'll lose his guide. It's been a while since he's been to Cartman's apartment and every time he's been there he has been dragged against his will.

So in the past, instead of taking in his surroundings, knowing where the apartment is in location to his own, Kyle just complains the whole walk to the apartment and calls and Uber home. He's always had a guide when it comes to Cartman's apartment.

Which is why he hates going to Cartman's parties. The minute Stan or Kenny walk through the door they slip into the crowd, leaving Kyle on the doormat. Usually, Kyle will grab a drink in the kitchen (just one, someone has to be sober enough to get home) and break into Cartman's room where he keeps his desktop computer. He'll surf the web, play on his Steam account, or check out his browsing history. He sets his alarm for three hours after their arrival time and when his alarm goes off he walks back into the living area and waits for whoever he came with to find him. If they ever look for Kyle during the night they must not look very hard or for very long.

"Are you coming." Craig waits for Kyle to catch up at the front of Cartman's apartment.

"Yeah yeah, just don't see why I'm even here." Kyle grumbles, squatting a few final times to break in Kenny's pants.

"You didn't have to, it's not like I twisted your arm."

"Well you sounded worried about Kenny, so if you end up getting wasted like everyone else I know you'll need someone sober to help. Plus, Kenny's my roommate, if he's missing I should help find him."

Craig pauses, giving Kyle more time to rant. Once he's sure Kyle is finished he opens the door to Cartman's apartment complex.

"When have you seen me wasted at a party."

Kyle catches something different in Craig's monotone voice. "I've never seen you at a party."

"Exactly."

Okay, Kyle has to remember he's not dealing with his usual guides. Stan normally 'pre-games' at his apartment, and Kenny acts wasted after he eats a jelly donut. So in Kyle's defense, the company he keeps aren't the best people to base what is normal behavior at a party.

Craig doesn't bother knocking, he just gives the door a hard shoulder and they're in.

The music is louder than when Kyle usually arrives. He's most likely already in Cartman's room at this point. He recognizes a few familiar faces, but none make a move greet him. He can hear Cartman's voice travel from his back patio to where he and Craig are standing and he already feels a head ache coming on.

He feels Craig's hand move him gently in front, making sure the door is closed behind them. "Do you want a drink." Craig has to yell in his ear to be heard. Funny how Cartman's voice pierces through the noise while Craig's voice gets lost in it.

"No I don't want a drink, I just want to find Kenny."

And just like that, Craig is gone. Of course Craig is gone, why would he stay next to Kyle? It's not like they're at this party to actually enjoy themselves. HA. Kyle, enjoying himself at a party? No way.

He's tempted to turn around and walk out the door, wait for Craig on the steps. Another part of him wants to find Kenny on his own, prove to Craig that he was freaking out over nothing. And why does Craig care so much about where Kenny is anyway? On the walk to the apartment Craig tried calling Kenny quite a few times. What he assumes was Kenny. No voicemails left, not even follow up texts. From what Kyle remembers from his brief dating history only boyfriends call. Boyfriends and mothers call. Friends and fathers text.

Does that mean Craig and Kenny are dating?

Kyle always knew Kenny swings both ways. He has no opinion of Craig's sexuality, until this point. Now that he thinks about, maybe that says something about Craig's sexuality?

"Here, I just got us whatever they had bottled." Kyle feels a cold bottle being shoved into his hand. Craig is back in his place standing behind Kyle, right in front of the door. "I know you said you didn't want anything, but if we start walking around without drinks in hand we'll get stopped more than you think."

"You came back." Kyle doesn't mean to say it out loud, and he thinks for a moment that the music drowned it out, but he can tell Craig hears it.

Choosing to ignore Kyle's comment, Craig takes hold of Kyle's elbow, "let's go find Kenny."

While the two walk through the living area there are a few shouts of Craig's name and even a few of Kyle's. People he's never met before are coming up, asking how he's been, what he's been up to. A number of people do the same to Craig. A few times Kyle feels like he's intruding on the conversation, so he quietly tries to slip away, but just as soon as he thinks he's free Craig's hand finds his elbow.

Being forced to listen to some private conversations Kyle has learned the following about Craig:

He's in law school.

His sister is in Fashion School

He still hangs out with Tweek, Clyde, and Token regularly.

He hangs out with Kenny even more regularly.

Once the last person bids their goodbyes to Craig and Kyle's drink is gone Kyle pokes Craig's stomach.

"I don't think Kenny's here. I don't know anyone here."

"People seem to know you."

"You too."

Craig once again, goes with the 'ignore comment' option. Kyle watches Craig finish his almost full beer, then take both empty bottles in his hands. "Let's go. Clyde's isn't far."

"Should we thank Cartman for having us over?"

Kyle realizes that talking to Craig is like talking to a brick wall.

Once the two step out of the apartment complex Kyle is met with a cold gust of wind. He shivers noticeably until he feels Craig's Carhartt jacket fall on his shoulders.

"Thanks, won't you be cold, though?"

It's Craig's turn to stop walking.

Kyle sees a puff of a sigh fall from Craig's lips. Then, the taller boy keeps walking.

A big, incredibly sweet, brick wall.


	3. 12:00am

"Clyde's is going to be a little different." Kyle hears from the boy walking in front of him.

It's so cold and his pants are so tight. He's starting to lose feeling in his toes.

"We're almost there." Craig's voice sounds softer than before.

Had Kyle been complaining out loud? He's too worried about freezing to death he doesn't remember so well. He stops and bends down to make sure his toes are still there. All he wants is body heat.

"Come on, it's not much further," Kyle feels a hand grab his arm, dragging him to his feet, "it's better to keep moving and your blood flowing. You grew up in Denver, you should be used to the cold."

Kyle does admit, walking faster is helping the feeling in his toes. It's not the strong hand pulling his own to the next house.

"What do you mean 'it's going to be a little different'?" Kyle asks while walking up to a normal looking house on a normal looking street. Even approaching the apartment complex Cartman lived in the two could hear the loud music from the main street. If Kyle had to find Clyde's house on his own he would be completely lost. There's no sign of a party or even a small get together. There are a few cars parked in the driveway, but nothing else.

Craig checks the door and to Kyle's surprise, it's locked. The red head looks in the window and sees darkness, "are you sure you have the right house?"

Ever the brick wall, Craig pushes Kyle over lightly to take a look in the house himself. A hum escapes his lips.

"Maybe we should knock?" Kyle suggests.

Instead, Craig is feeling above the door frame, not looking suspicious at all.

"I don't think..." Hiding a key above your door frame? That's something so... old fashioned. There's no way Clyde would do that, would he?

"Got it." Craig shows Kyle a key and gives him a victory sign in his other hand. He should be smiling to make lighten the mood a little, but Kyle doesn't think he's ever seen the dark haired boy smile.

"Are you sure this is a party it doesn't seem," Kyle begins, but still walks through the front door once Craig opens it for him. He's freezing. And it's not really breaking and entering if they have a key, right?

"They're all in the basement, come on." Craig shuts the door behind them and locks it. Kyle walks through Clyde's house and is pleasantly surprised. It clean, organized. There's even pictures on the walls that Kyle remembers seeing in his art history class.

"We're talking about Clyde Donnovan, right?" Kyle whispers, feeling like he might wake the actual owners of this house.

Craig stops in the kitchen and opens the fridge. He pulls two water bottles and hands Kyle one. Kyle think he hears a chuckle from Craig's mouth, but his face does nothing to confirm it. "Yes, Clyde Donnovan. Don't be fooled. You should see his room."

"I'm...impressed." Kyle remembers Clyde in high school. Not the... cleanest person. Definitely wouldn't peg him for being a lover of the arts. Kyle would kill to have some of the paintings on Clyde's wall.

"He lives with Token."

"Ah, never mind then."

It's still dark in the house, but Craig navigates through it flawlessly. Once he opens the door to the basement an odd smell fills the house.

"Is that..."

"You okay with this?" Again, a softness in Craig's voice Kyle isn't used to hearing.

He's never been much of a mainstream party goer and less of an... alternative party goer. He had always heard of Craig and his friends getting into drugs, but never would have imagined it would carry past high school.

Kyle has a lot to learn about the world.

"Well it's better than being outside." Kyle takes the stairs down to the basement, a little worried what he might find. But he doesn't want Craig to think he's a complete prude. Not that he cares what Craig thinks.

"Who is that?" Kyle hears a voice through the smoke.

"Craig." Another voice says.

"And Kenny?"

"No... it's..."

Kyle coughs and tries to wave some of the smoke away from his face.

"Dude," Clyde emerges through the smoke, eyes half lidded and a smile on his face, "you brought Kyle Broflosky to my party?"

It makes Kyle feel a little better to know that Craig doesn't just ignore his questions.

"Kenny isn't here?"

"No, thought he was coming with you." Clyde hands Craig a rolled joint. Craig connects eyes with Kyle, almost like he's waiting for approval.

Kyle shrugs and watches Craig take a cautious hit.

"I like your house, Clyde." Kyle tries his hand at ignoring Craig, but it's not as easy as it looks.

"Really? Thank you! I try really hard to keep it nice. You know, for company." Clyde motions towards the smokey room, but Kyle's contacts are already starting to dry out from the smoke and the smoke enough is making it hard to recognize any faces in the room.

"Craig told me Token lives here, too."

"What he's saying is he sees through your bullshit. Welcome to our home, Kyle. Nice to see you." Token walks through the smoke, a smile on his face. He's holding a blunt and offers it to Kyle.

Now, Kyle is not one to give into peer pressure. He's never once allowed himself to drink one too many, or try any little pill that might float around any of Cartman's parties. But weed...

If he were to ever try anything, Kyle thinks weed would be the drug of choice. Being from Colorado there was a lot of news around the drug a few years ago. And Kenny had been one of the biggest advocates he knew. Rather than just being a burnout and signing a petition like most of the kids on their campus, Kenny actually had facts that opened Kyle's eyes to the benefits of the plant.

"He doesn't smoke." Craig says, taking the blunt being offered to Kyle.

That doesn't sit well with Kyle.

After Craig's hit Kyle snatches the blunt out of his hands and takes a deep drag.

If Kyle could see past the huge cloud of smoke escaping his mouth he would have the chance to see a surprised Craig Tucker.

But instead smoke clouds his vision as well as his mind.


End file.
